Motivations of calf care workers for sick calf identification and treatment decisions

On large dairy farm operations and calf rearing facilities, identification and treatment of sick pre-weaned calves is in the hands of employees. Understanding the motivation behind why and how calf care workers make treatment decisions could help Extension educators and dairy advisors create more tailored messages about judicious antimicrobial use. The purpose of this project was to better understand decision making on these operations by assessing employee motivation using a standardized survey tool. Western United States dairy farms and calf ranches with > 200 pre-weaned calves were contacted through their veterinarian to participate in the study. A sample size of 96 individuals was estimated based on a prevalence of 0.5 for the dominant motivation type with a precision of 0.1 and 95% confidence. The survey tool was adapted from the Motivations Sources Inventory and included 10 questions on motivation for specific aspects of calf care with response categories referring to the five motivation types: 1. External, motivated by recognition from supervisor or coworkers; 2. Extrinsic, motivated by bonuses or other monetary means; 3. Intrinsic, motivated by one's belief system; 4. Internal, motivated by task enjoyment; and 5. Goal Internal, motivated by a desire to meet the organization's goals. Additional questions included job title, training, communication, and information seeking. One-hundred seven individuals from 28 farms participated in the personal interviews. Most were calf feeders (47%), who had worked in that position for more than 5 yr. The most common motivation type was Intrinsic (41 ± 12%), and there were none of the Extrinsic type (0%). The majority of farms (79%) had calf care workers of a variety of motivation types. Six farms had employees of all the same type. Calf Feeders were predominantly Goal Internal (36 ± 13%). Calf managers and calf treaters were predominantly Intrinsic (40 ± 18% and 44 ± 23%). The dominant motivation type for sick calf identification questions was Intrinsic (32 to 50%). The dominant motivation type for questions dealing with calf treatment was Goal Internal (37 to 51%). There is a great deal of variation in calf care worker motivation types, but overall, messages and training programs to address prudent antimicrobial use could benefit by addressing belief systems for sick calf identification and the reinforcement of goals and protocols when addressing treatment.